What makes your favorite possessions so special?
Questions asked and answered for my daughters
The question of what possessions are my favorite sounds like it would be quick one to answer; however, my favorite possessions are not things that most people know I keep.
On the surface… looking at things I put on display, talk about the most, or admire in accomplishment, the following items are certainly on the list of notable possessions:
1) My computer. The window in the digital realm; the tool that enabled my career; and the invention that continues to define the world.
2) My action figures. I have an awesome display of action figures in my office that I look at every time I enter. I open them, set them up, and have them remind me of the stories I’ve played in video games or admire their character depth… Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars various characters, Ghostbusters, and Assassin’s Creed North American pirates.
3) Finished jigsaw puzzles. It is no secret to those close to me how much I enjoy escaping in putting together a puzzle. I keep them all and sign/date the back of them.
BUT, those things above are not my favorite possessions.
What makes something my favorite are the things that provide meaning and connection. The things that bring back feelings of joy and sadness. The things that bring back memories that inspire pride and have a deeper story under the surface.
These things are not on display and are kept in a padded box in my home office:
1) Gizmo’s collar. My first dog… he lived to be 15 years old, and he was my buddy. I was with him from the beginning until the very end, and thinking about him still makes my eyes well up.
He was born on September 24, 2004 and died in September 2019… a few days before his birthday.
2) Kiiera’s and Karlii’s baby teeth… after the tooth fairy brings them back to me. Once they were returned, I had to put them somewhere safe, along with my own wisdom teeth that I saved. These are symbols of growing up, and the two with braces were extra valuable to the tooth fairy!
3) Name tags of places I used to work. I have all of the badges with my name printed on them from my first job to my current one. They all have stories of impact and dedicated time.
4) Tickets and wristbands of places I have traveled. When printed tickets for airlines, sporting events, and other venue activities existed before email and apps took over, I saved them. I still do for the ones that still print. I have my tickets from Major League Baseball games I went to while growing up, my first air plane trip, our Disney World passes… and so many more.
Why do I save these possessions?
These last few possessions have sentimental value and remind me of a time of life that I want to remember. We can take memories with us everywhere we go; we can always take the feelings we felt with us and spend a few moments with them. Sometimes, it’s helpful to have a few small possessions that remind us how good of a life we live.
P.S.
There is a series of possessions that tell a story of our life together that you walk by every day. Each year, our family “photo” is a caricature that an artist captures of us. It’s our story of growing up together.
